Photo by Ben Weldon - www.benweldonphotography.com
When I was 17 I took a pottery class as a college freshman for ‘fun’. That was 1978. Even though I wouldn’t come to ‘know’ it in a conscious way for another 4 years, that simple exposure was enough to begin a lifelong relationship with this material: clay. From that moment on, I built my life and decisions around what was ‘next’ for me in ceramics.
Much of the traveling I’ve experienced has been in one way or another because of my career whether it was for teaching workshops or doing residencies or shows.
Now my life not only has ceramics at the center but a partner and kids too. I married my husband, Andy Cleff in 1991. He and I share the 2 story barn on our property in Doylestown, Bucks County, PA for our respective businesses. We share our lives with 2 amazing human beings, our daughters Isabel and Sophie.
I’ve always counted myself very fortunate to have found such a meaningful path that just about always seems to have arrows pointing me to the next direction…and to be so engaged and compelled by my chosen career. At this stage of the game, I have faith in the creative process to the point that even when I can’t see the direction ahead I know that if I can make space for play and practice, I’ll be fine. And I always am.
The Ceramics Program of the Office for the Arts at Harvard. Cambridge, MA
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, NS, Canada. Full Scholarship for graduate work
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
Peters Valley, Layton, NJ
Douglass College of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Core Clay – Workshop instructor. Cincinnati, OH 2010
Shakerag Workshops – Workshop instructor. Sewanee, TN 2010
Pennsylvania State Festival of the Arts – Juror 2010
Handbuilt – Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA 2009. One of 4 presenters at this 1st ever national conference dedicated to handbuilding ceramics.
Penland School of Craft – Penland, NC 2008, Workshop instructor: Throwing, hand-building and surface treatment
Middletown Arts Center – Middletown, OH 2007. Workshop instructor of hand-building and surface treatment
Arrowmont School of Art and Craft – Gatlinburg, TN 2006+2003. Workshop instructor of hand-building, glazing and decorating
Australian National University – Canberra, Australia 2005. Artist in Residence
Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts – Asheville, NC 2005. One week intensive hand-building workshop instructor
Kent State University – Kent, OH 2005. 2-day workshop instructor
University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA 2004. Slide lecture on the development of work
The Clay Studio – Philadelphia, PA 2004. 2-day workshop instructor of hand-building and decorating techniques
Lee Art Center – Arlington, VA 2003. Workshop for teaching personal handbuilding techniques
Worcester Center for Crafts – Worcester, MA 2002. 2-day, slab-building workshop instructor
The 92nd Street “Y” – New York City, NY 2001. 2-day, slab-building workshop instructor
Northern Clay Center – McNight Artists Fellowships and Residencies 2001. Juror. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Northern Clay Center – American Pottery Festival 2000. Slab-building workshop instructor. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts – Utilitarian Clay III 2000. Conference presenter . Gatlinburg, TN
Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show – Philadelphia, PA 2011, 2007-6, 1998 + 1993
Ceramics Invitational –The Trenton City Museum: Trenton, New Jersey 2010
Best of Philly: Best Gallery Artist – This honor bestowed by Philadelphia Magazine 2010
“Mentors/Past and Present” – University of the Arts and NCECA Phila. PA 2010
“1895 Years of Pottery” – Exhibition of Senior Potters’ work during NCECA Phila. PA 2010
Constructed: A Handbuilt Review – Mudfire Clayworks and Gallery – Decatur, GA 2010
Contemporary Folklore – 4 person show of Narrative Sculpture. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA 2010
American Pottery Festival – Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 2010, 2001 – 1999
Yunomi Exhibition – AKA, Iowa City, IA 2009-2006
Art of the State – State Museum, Harrisburg, PA 2009
Handbuilt – Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA 2009
NCECA Conference – Pittsburgh, PA 2008, Cera(mix) Pittsburgh: Manchester Craftsmaen’s Guild + La Mesa: Santa Fe Clay
One and Only: Gifts Made by Hand – John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI 2007
Iinspired Utility: Exceptional ceramic Vessels – Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA 2006
CraftsBoston – The Society of Arts and Crafts – Boston, MA 2006
NCECA Residency award – Australian National University, Canberra, Australia 2005
The Power of Pottery – NCECA, Baltimore, MD 2005
Bowled Over – The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA 2005
Duets and This Splendid Table – Kentucky Museum of Arts + Design 2004
Featured Gallery Artist – The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA 2004
Surfaces – AKAR, Iowa City, IA 2003
Functional Pottery Invitational – Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM 2003
Women in Clay: Pots for Daily Use – Odyssey Gallery, Asheville, NC 2003
The 25th Annual Invitational Ceramic Show – By invitation of Karen Karnes. Old Church Cultural Center School of Art, Demarest, NJ 1999
Redware: Tradition and Beyond – The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA 1999
Crafts at the Castle – Family Services of Greater Boston, Boston, MA 1998 – 1997
Functional Work: American Potters – Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities – Arvada, CO 1997
Smithsonian Craft Show – National Building Museum, Washington, DC 1997 – 1995
American Craft Council Show – Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD 1996 – 1994
The 19th, 20th&21st Annual Invitational Ceramic Shows – By invitation of Karen Karnes. Old Church Cultural Center School of Art – Demarest, NJ 1995 – 1993
Soup Tureens 1993 – Helen Drutt Gallery, Phila., PA 1993
Fleisher Challenge Exhibition – Solo exhibition administered by the Phila., Museum of Art, Fleisher Art Memorial, Phila., PA 1993
Tempe Tea Party (Juror’s Award) – Tempe Arts Center, Tempe, Arizona 1993
The First Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National (Amaco Clay Co. Award) – Market House Craft Center, Lancaster, PA 1993
Masters Earthenware: Major Works by Leading Artists by Matthias Ostermann, 2010. Pages 274-281
Wheel Throwing by Emily Reason, 2010. Page 53
The Ceramic Surface by Matthias Ostermann, 2002. Page 85
Surface Decoration for Low Fire Ceramics by Lynn Peters, 1999. Pages 31, 93, 124
Dtown Magazine, November 2010. Cover Image and feature on pages 26-29
ICON Magazine, April 2010, Cover Image and article pages 8-9
Philadelphia Magazine, August 2010, Best of Philly: Best Gallery Artist, Page 134
Clay Times, Nov/Dec 2009, Pages 34-37
Bucks Life Magazine, Fall 2009, Feature: Page 100
The Crafts Report, September 2006, Feature Article: Pages 42-43
Time Off Bucks County, January 25, 2002, Feature Article: Pages 10-11
The Studio Potter, June 2000, Feature article: page 88
Better Homes and Gardens: Decorating Magazine, Winter 1999, Feature Article: Pages 48-52
Seven Arts Magazine, February 1997, Feature Article: Page 41
Mid-Atlantic Country Magazine, April 1995, Pages 64-65
For many years after grad school, I glaze fired to cone 04 which is the convention in this country. In 2005 while I was doing my residency at the Australian National University in Canberra, the other potters there innocently asked, “Why do you glaze fire at ‘bisque’ temperatures?”. That was the first indication I’d ever had that cone 04 might be a suspect temperature to fire earthenware. But I brushed it off mostly because my practice with it was supported by US studio potter standards for terra cotta.
Shortly after returning to the States, I offered a workshop at Arrowmont School of Art and Craft in Gaitlinburg, TN. There, fate gave me a GIANT gift…one of my students in this handbuilding class was a ceramic engineer. Go figure. These folks typically never show up in these sorts of classes. But Karla Wagner is anything but “typical”. She and I forged a professional relationship and friendship from that time onward. Karla helped me see the virtue of ‘buying’ temperature for my earthenware.
She and I worked together to formulate a satin clear glaze and move my firing temperature up to cone 1-2. All this just to say, these pots are strong, strong, strong. When you knock on them they ring like porcelain. They can go in the microwave without heating up their handles (which happens to lower fired pots). They’re in and out of my dishwasher daily. They even have less than .5% absorption which means anything I make for the garden can live outside in the frozen NE winters w/out breaking.